The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-16

member one. My impressions are all OF
sunshine and flowers and the brilliant
coloring of the hag-the blue field with
its sprinkling of snowy stars and early
In the morning the sound of the drum 8.
Hastily dressing, we would fly to the
front-door to see the quiet, staid, Dutch
street, for this was in New Jersey town
beside itself with stir and hustle.
Young men, our neighbors, prosaic
enough usually, were looking grand and
unfamiliar in their spick-and- uni
FORMS The bakers boy, mounted on the
bakers horse, of which he seemed to COW
er a large part as he moved up and
down in the saddle, was quite terrific in
a tremendous helmet crowned with a
bristling tuft of stiff hair.
The Sunday schools used always, in
our town, to march on the Fourth OF
July, following through the lane OF spec
tators between the decorated houses the
stately liue of the soldiers. The bugles,
trumpete, and drums were as much for
us as for the men in uniform. Our souls
were thrilled, and we refused to know
that the summer dust was dry, the sum-
mer sunshine hot, and our little feet
weary before the march was over.
Children were dressed much more SIM
ply in those days than at present. Dress
was not considered of SO much conse-
quence, and as every little girl when ar
rayed in a white muslin gown with
pink or blue sash was thought fit for any
occasion, our minds we're not much wor-
ried on that subject. My sister and in
our white dresses, my little brother in
white trousers with blue jacket fasten-
ed by gilt buttons, were attired in the
fashion with other children of our age.
Arrived at the scene of the Fourth of
July we were seated on benches. Alasl
they were hard, and they had not any
backs; but they were shaded by thatch
Of some kind. remember green boughs
and an aroma of pines, and they enabled
us to face the orator of the day. Before
he began his speech, we listened-this
always-to some one, judge or minis
ter, who read impressively, in deep,
sonorous voice, amid profound silence,
the Declaration of Independence. There
was not school boy, or school-g girl OF
my time, who had not heard that docu-
ment read with due emphasis on every
Fourth OF July since she or he had been
able to walk, and who could not repeat
long paragraphs OF the same by heart.
After the speeches and the songs by the
children, all keyed to the same patriotic
concert pitch, there came grand salute,
and after that gingerbread and cookies in
white paper bags, with brimming glasses
Of lemonade dipped out of immense
hogsheads of that cooling beverage, were
impartially served to the hungry and
thirsty army of Sunday school children.
Finally, little weary, but still treading
on air, we all went home to eat our din
ners and spend the rest of the day in
holiday fun.
Ushered in with the ringing Of bells
and the firing of cannon, the setting sun
brought again the joyful tumult, and
then came the evening fireworks. Most
people finished off the day by eating ice
cream, which we children fancied was
rather more delicious on the Fourth of
July than at any other time OF the year.
I do not know surely, but I think we
were a more enthusiastic set of little
Americans in the long ago than are the
children who are now growing up. Pos
sibly am mistaken Margaret E. Sang
ster, in H0rper's Young People.